Need lased diode driver schematic for 500mW IR diode

If your batteries are fully charged...

then your IR Laser Diode no longer Lases... it is now just an LED...
It has been Damaged...

Jerry

It's either out of alignment, the crystal coatings have been damaged, or the diode is shot, none of which are easily repairable with cheap Chinese modules. DPSS lasers are VERY sensitive to alignment with even a minute bit out of whack and bam.. no green light. Also, diodes don't always cease to emit light when they are damaged. Instead, it might not be coherent light, or the beam quality might have degraded to a point where it will no longer function.

I'm not sure why it seemed like a good idea to you to take it apart and mess with the pot, but it's your laser and you are entitled to destroy it if you see fit. Adjusting the current via that pot is a great way to ruin a laser. It seems that doing a bit of reading around here would save you a bit of trouble. Many people have come here with this same song after having done exactly the same as you.

DO NOT look at the dim red light. It might look dim, but there could be 200mW or more of laser light being emitted by that diode.

""It seems that doing a bit of reading around here would save you a bit of trouble. Many people have come here with this same song after having done exactly the same as you.""

I guess I was just trying to see if a bit extra current would "boost" the output, or at least make the beam stop fluctuating, it was a bad pot on the driver board that was the problem, I knew this because by using a plastic probe and jiggling it a little made the intermittent beam issue worsten, so it was screwed to begin with, what do you expect for a 5 buck ebay pointer...lol. Since there is no "standard" of current rating for diodes I'm told, it's hard to know how much you can push them until it goes tits up isn't it?

I appreciate you giving me your opinion, but you didn't have to try your hardest to make me feel like an idiot for trying to fix what was wrong, and for your information, I've been reading as much here as I could be, you should lighten up a bit on the smack down when someone asks for help, and asks so they can learn, nobody likes to be made to feel stupid for asking a question, that's why people don't learn, they are afraid to ask, because "someone" out there might take a pot shot at them to make them look or feel stupid, such as your accusation that I'm like every other idiot out there that doesn't bother to read anything, and then just goes and wrecks stuff stupidly.

As mentioned previously, I'm NOT looking directly at any beams, I'm seeing the output via a camcorder that CAN see infra red light, give me SOME credit, I'm not totally stupid.

I call it as I see it. If that bothers you, I humbly apologize. Best of luck with your ventures. Eventually you'll probably get sick of killing your lasers.

It's like I said: We see this stuff here constantly. Over and over people do those same things, when simply searching the forum before you take your stuff apart would help. I don't know what your skill level is.. I don't know a thing about you other than why you're here. And I know you didn't bother to do any real research before you took that laser apart, even after I linked you to a source of all the info you could need about DPSS lasers and pointers. But like you said, it's a $5 laser so there's no reason to worry. It's just frustrating to see people make these kinds of mistakes when we've gone to great lengths covering this in the past. The search button is your friend in any forum.

Search the forum for "pot mod"

ElektroFreak said:

I call it as I see it. If that bothers you, I humbly apologize. Best of luck with your ventures. Eventually you'll probably get sick of killing your lasers.

It's like I said: We see this stuff here constantly. Over and over people do those same things, when simply searching the forum before you take your stuff apart would help. I don't know what your skill level is.. I don't know a thing about you other than why you're here. And I know you didn't bother to do any real research before you took that laser apart, even after I linked you to a source of all the info you could need about DPSS lasers and pointers. But like you said, it's a $5 laser so there's no reason to worry. It's just frustrating to see people make these kinds of mistakes when we've gone to great lengths covering this in the past. The search button is your friend in any forum.

Search the forum for "pot mod"

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You seem to "know" alot don't you? I can't wait until I am god like and know enough that I can tell someone straight out that I KNOW, what they did and did not do.

Again, your pretty harsh don't you think? I came here for help, not to get scolded by someone and have them rub my nose in how they know more than I do. I KNOW I don't know as much as you do, but don't TELL me what I did and didn't do, you have NO idea what I've done and have not done.

It just so happens that I am a very qualified electronics technician, and have worked in the industry for years, including with lasers, in fact, there was a time that people came to ME for answers.

You think you know everything about me, but what you DON'T know is that I've suffered a head injury and have memory troubles, so I have to rely on pompous people like yourself who shoot me down for not being able to remember everyy damn thing I've read, and who take pride in making others look stupid, so they themselves look smart.

My VERY first words on this thread were to forgive me for asking a question that's probably been asked a million times before, if you took the time to read back that far, you would know that. I DID search, and I am VERY sorry to have troubled you and asked you a question that you've had to answer SO many times before.

Perhaps you should be a little more patient with people, and realize that if they are asking you a question, it's because they respect your knowledge, and not because they are too stupid or lazy to read something that you told them to, like you accuse me of. Maybe, there's OTHER reasons people need things spelled out for them BESIDES the fact that they are lazy.

No, I don't think that me explaining myself is harsh at all. I said that I get frustrated. Sorry If you got a taste of my frustration. Maybe it would have been better of me to explain searching forums before we got this far, but hey hindsight is always 20/20. What I think at this point is that you're looking for someone to coddle you and hold your hand. Good luck with that.. Given your apparent qualifications, you should have no real trouble getting a handle on things on your own.

Personally, I learned everything I know about lasers from Sam's Laser FAQ, RP Photonics Encyclopedia (linked in my sig), Springer handbook of lasers and optics, and a few very knowledgeable folks here. I never ask a question here unless I have already done a fair share of research on my own and I haven't been able to find what I need. It may be wrong of me to expect a similar effort from others, but I do nonetheless.

Like I said.. good luck to you. You can find someone else to yell at.

ElektroFreak said:

No, I don't think that me explaining myself is harsh at all. I said that I get frustrated. Sorry If you got a taste of my frustration. Maybe it would have been better of me to explain searching forums before we got this far, but hey hindsight is always 20/20. What I think at this point is that you're looking for someone to coddle you and hold your hand. Good luck with that..

Like I said.. good luck to you. You can find someone else to yell at.

Click to expand...

Wow, one insult after another, no human empathy whatsoever, just one smug condescending comment after another, I really didn't expect this when I started posting here.

If your not willing to "hold people's hand" while they ask you for guidance, then maybe you shouldn't be in a support position if you can't handle that type of thing. The last thing I want is to be "coddled" by someone who cares only about himself, and not his fellow man whatsoever.

Just the simple fact that you say something as smug and conescending as I'm looking for coddling and handholding when I was simply asking questions for support tells me that you have a serious attitude probelm and think your better than me somehow, one of these days something bad will hapen to you, like a head injury, and you will then wish the world was just a bit freindlier and more patient than it is, and then maybe "you" will be scolded and punished for asking someone to explain something to you, life has a way of making smug and arrogant people see the light in one way or another, maybe you should start treating others with respect before life decides to teach YOU the lessons you obviously need to learn.

I'll never understand why some people feel the need to exery more energy being mean and nasty, than just being nice and helpful to others, not much wonder the world is so screwed up.

WTF do you want from me? I just apologized. I'm not always the nicest guy in the world, and frankly I don't have a problem with that. I'm not interested in being 100% lovable all the time. I could care less. I only care whether the answers I give are accurate. I bet you've forgotten your last question since we're no longer discussing lasers here, but rather a distinct inferiority complex.

You really should read the rest of my last post. I realized I left out some important info about why I take the position I do. Maybe it will help you understand.. but if not, oh well. I won't lose any sleep.

See, that's my point exactly, you think that because you can admit that your "not always the nicest guy in the world", that somehow that gives you license to treat people like crap and talk to them the way you seemingly do, all because "your ok with yourself" being the way you are. Well, that doesn't mean I have to take your crap, and put up with being talked down to like that when I was simply asking for help.

You can't just apologize to someone, directly followed by another condecending remark, and expect itto go unnoticed.

It just doesn't get much more insensitive then when you tell someone you've suffered a head injury, have a disability, and then get accused of having an inferiority complex, and as someone who is demanding "coddling and handholding", just because you communicate to someone that you don't like being called stupid for making a mistake that apparently could have been avoided, had I only obeyed you and read in full what you posted, and remembered it word for word.

Some people in this world aren't perfect, me being one of them, and it wasn't until I obtained my disability that I started to realize how the world was a very cold uncaring place that does nothing but accuse you of demanding "special or preferential treatment" the moment you announce you have a disability, and would like a bit of sensitivity to that, not sympathy, sensitivity, is IS a totally different thing you know.

It would just be nice if someone out there in the world returned my kindness, and treated people with respect, like I do, and kept their nasty comments and accusations to themselves, expecially if they already recognize they have an issue with being nice or kind to others.

Never once in all the years of technical support I've done have I EVER gave someone crap for not remembering something, or for asking a question.

I haven't forgotten my original question, to be honest, I'm kinda too pisssed off to care about it right now thanks to you.

I should have just kept my mouth shut, and just stupidly destroyed my lasers in the comfort and quiet of my own home.

Inferiority complex? I highly think if you were face to face with me, looking me in the eye you would not be so quick to say that to me, nor would you say the other things you have said here, it's very interesting how people's communication skills seem to change when they are in person.

Now enough of this garbage, if you don't have anything nice to say to me, please stop with the accusations and labels. If you have technical information for me, I'll gladly accept that. I'm here to learn something, and if you don't want to be the one to post anything in reply to my questions that is useful or positive, please don't reply to my posts.

^LOL!! Ok bye now. Enough childish BS. I'm sure not going to sit here and argue circles with you all night.

ElectroFreak,
Lets agree to disagree, I accept your apology, and am also sorry I beaked off at you last night.

As you understand frustration, surely you must understand mine as well, communication when you have suffered a head injury is sometimes VERY frustrating, as you just don't understand the same things that most people do, and it's very hard to bring one's self to ask questions i the first place, especially "obvious" ones, so when someone then reams you out because you asked, when you could barely bring yourself to in the first place is TRULY frustrating, it's like adding serious insult to injury, literally.

On top of that, it's extremely embarassing to have to "admit" you have had a head injury to people, it's like saying "hey, look at me, I'm a dumbass who belongs on the shortbus now"....lol.

I don't have an "inferiority complex" as you stated, but I am a bit overly sensitive when it comes to people critisizing me for asking for help, because as a man, it's hard to do that to begin with, and the last thing I want to feel is like I "need" to rely on anyone, so it's very hard for me to "ask" for assistance for anything in the first place.

Anyhow, I owe you an apology, you have no obligation to trreat me any different than anyone else, and I have no right to demand that you do, sorry for that.

Chris

Everyone has bad day from time to time, and I can accept that and your apology. I certainly sympathize with any limitations that a personal injury might leave you with, but I believe that you coming here in the first place and your attempts to understand this stuff are an indicator that you are willing to make the effort necessary and that your mental capacity is not deficient. You should give yourself more credit.

I'm the kind of person who has no problem helping others, as long as they help themselves. That's why I always encourage new people to do their own research prior to asking questions, and I will admit I get a little less friendly when I suspect that a member isn't doing any work themselves, although in your case I'll admit I was mistaken, and I could have been more tactful. It's just a programmed response on my part.